Books about people who left cults/abusive situations
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Anonymous
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I love reading books (memoirs) from people who left cults and/or abusive situations. I used to have a lot of them in my library book list, but then MoCo switched programs and I lost all of my previous lists.
Any suggestions? |
Anonymous
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Only books or are you open to podcasts?
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Anonymous
| Leah Romini’s book on Scientology |
Anonymous
| Uncultured -- just came out. Beware it's very graphic and disturbing. |
Anonymous
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Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith
Martha N. Beck |
Anonymous
| Unorthodox |
Anonymous
| The Truth Book: Escaping a Childhood of Abuse Among Jehovah's Witnesses |
Anonymous
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Oh, I love this genre too. Fascinating.
"Cultish" goes into many different cults (even Crossfit) and the why's of how they work until they don't https://www.amazon.com/Cultish-Language-Fanaticism-Amanda-Montell/dp/0062993151 "Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape" by Jenna Miscavige Hill (niece of Scientology head David Miscavige) is VERY interesting! https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Belief-Secret-Scientology-Harrowing/dp/0062248480 Jenna now helps others when they escape Scientology. |
Anonymous
Other books about Children of God/the Family Sex Cult Nun Leaving isn't the hardest part |
Anonymous
| There are a bunch of FLDS memoirs, I think the best is The Witness Wore Red |
Anonymous
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About an abusive relationship, not cults, and not a conventional narrative style:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43317482-in-the-dream-house |
Anonymous
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OP here. Thank you for all of the recommendations! Keep them coming!
Yes, I only want books, not podcasts; my mind wanders and then I miss a bunch of the story. I think I may have read that FLDS book, but I'm going to look into it again. I remember reading (by happenstance) two books by two former FLDS members who were half-sisters. One memoir was from a daughter from the original husband/wife, and she talked about how her parents went from LDS to FLDS and became polygamous. She describes the tension between the wives and all of the other issues with polygamy so well, especially since she remembers how it was before her father took on other wives. The second book was from one of this father's youngest daughters, so her mom was wife #3 or 4, I think. She was fully raised in the polygamous household and didn't know any different, and she ended up being forced to marry Warren Jeffs or someone else in a high position. The differences in their life experiences were really fascinating! I think "The Witness Wore Red" may have been from the younger sister, but I can't remember for sure. |
Anonymous
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Educated by Tara Westover
Women Talking is a novel (and about to be released as a movie) but is based on the experiences of women in a Mennonite community in Bolivia. |
Anonymous
| The Sound of Gravel. |
Anonymous
| If you like fiction, The Book of Fred is about a girl removed from a religious cult and placed in foster care. |